Tag: under resort

Rather than end its 13-episode run with a “To Be Continued” or other cliffhanger silliness (though I’m not even sure if this was meant to get a second season), DanMachi decides to spend its last episode the same way the end of a good RPG ends: with a huge final battle and a classic “good ending.”

The end definitely snuck up on us, and thus it was hard not to feel like things were rushing a little, but I was still glad for the finality of the boss battle, and all the character work and action it entailed.

The boss himself is…well, naked and kinda dumb-looking, which has been DanMachi’s problem from episode one: none of the enemies are particularly scary-looking or even particularly creative in design. This is something the most recent GARO almost always got right (to say nothing of the nightmare-inducing Gauna of Hannah’s Sidonia.)

In addition to being somewhat goofy-looking, this boss doesn’t really DO much besides mill around waving his arms around. I’m not sure I buy the fact they can’t escape the level either; if the entire town can be mustered to fight the boss, surely some of them can use their magic to open an escape route.

The show clearly understands the concept of distractions, decoys, and well-timed combos, because several of each are unleashed on the boss, to no avail due to his ridiculous regeneration ability. Dumb-looking or not, this is definitely the toughest boss the show has given us yet.

The combo that works in the end is akin to saving up all of the full overdrive gauges of your whole party, then unleashing those overdrive attacks in quick succession to bring the beast down, or at least shave off a decent amount of his HP.

Ryuu, Mikoto, and Welf are involved in the final combo, which sufficiently softens up the boss for Bell’s “Hero’s Strike”, which causes a fade-to-white yet still doesn’t quite finish the boss; for that, he has to use the trusty runeblade Hestia made for him (and which symbolizes their love and devotion to one another) to crack the central crystal and send the boss to Nowheresville.

The final casualty list? Well, no one we know. In fact, those scumbags who kidnapped Hestia last week even gain a grudging respect for Bell, a nice bit of development even if its for characters we care about. As for those we do care about, they’re all fine, in good shape for what I imagine to be a second season a year or so hence.

At least, that’s what I hope. After all, there’s still a lot of stories to be told both inside and outside the dungeon, many levels yet to explore and conquer, not to mention Bell being the “Last Hero of the Zeus Familia” or something.

As for Freya…well, not sure why her character existed at all this season, except that she’ll eventually play a bigger role later on, when Bell presumably grows ever more powerful and popular.

Until then, I bit adieu to DanMachi, a solid action fantasy with lots of heart, likable characters, and rich world-building that never failed to entertain.

This week’s DanMachi was a bit of a two-face: starting with a bit of a plodding lull thanks to the low-danger surroundings, but escalating into more exciting RPG-style action, complete with a kidnapping, an unfair duel, and the arrival of the cavalry.

But first, all the girls are nude, Wooooo! Seriously though, this wasn’t that exciting, but I was surprised and a little impressed that when Bell inevitably ended up in the midst of the girls, he didn’t receive a beating. The girls’ reactions range from quietly embarrassed to indifferent to downright glad (the latter in the case of the Sand Snake-like girls and Hesty, she of the ample bust).

Also not particularly bothered by Bell (who is the victim of a prank by Hermes) is Ryuu, whom he finally gets a chance to thank for coming to his aid. Ryuu tells him she planned to come at some point to pay respects to her familia, who fell into a rival familia’s trap and were massacred.

Ryuu was the only survivor, and after she avenged her familia by single-handedly killing the other, she was banned from the Guild. Syr found her lying in the street and brought her to the tavern, where Mama Mia brought her in despite knowing what she did. It’s a nice bit of backstory from one of the more interesting characters in DanMachi, due to her complexity.

Ryuu’s no saint, but she can tell Bell is a kind person worthy of her respect and friendship, who like her benefactors, can see the good in her, being good himself. But we see the other ugly side of people (not just humans, since Ryuu is an elf) in Moldo, a veteran adventurer disgruntled with Bell’s rapid rise. Wanting to put him in his place, he kidnaps Hestia and challenges Bell to a duel.

It isn’t until the duel starts that Bell learns Moldo has invisibility magic, which is a bit too on-the-nose dirty for the bad guy. He says he’s not shameless enough to hurt Hestia, but his tactics certainly seem cowardly. But that’s the thing: his tactics make him stronger, at least initially, in the fight, and his cohorts rally behind that power, despite the cowardice of it.

That’s because, well, they’re weak too, and opportunistic. Even though they outnumber Bell’s friends who come to break the fight up, they seem outmatched by them.

That being said, neither side “wins” the battle, because Hestia unleashes her divine power to compel everyone to cease fighting. It’s cool to finally see her exhibit abilities beyond reading Bell’s back and pulling off a ridiculous dress like a rock star. As she emits and otherworldly glow, it’s clear no one wants to mess with her.

By the way, it looks like Hermes wants to test Bell’s abilities, or, as he says, teach him about the cruelty and injustice inherent in humanity. Not sure why he thinks Bell will learn such a lesson especially when Bell has plenty of really good people as friends and allies. The fact of the matter is, there’s good and evil in everyone.

The second half of this episode makes up for the slower first, and even the first half had that nice interaction between Bell and Ryuu. And I especially liked how after Bell ran off to save Hestia, she ends up saving him and everyone else from a protracted brawl. It remains a very balanced relationship. Bell is still very naive at times, but he also happens to have the strength—and friends—to deal with the predicaments his naivete gets him into.

WIth just two episodes left in what looks like the first of a two-cour, 26-episode run, Bell’s party’s predicament is resolved and they are out of danger. But I daresay the way in which it was resolved was a bit…tidy, and underwhelming.

To whit: we barely see any of Hestia’s rescue party in action, and not for very long, which deflated the built-up excitement of first watching her assemble such a solid party, and then watch them head confidently into the dungeon. “This is it?” I was asking myself.

Meanwhile, Bell’s party is in a bad way: Welf and Lili pass out—either from the pain of their injuries, fatigue, or mind down—before they reach the 18th floor safe zone, so Bell has to draw from an extra reserve of strength and energy in order to carry both of them the rest of the way, including through a gauntlet of falling boulders and a very nasty (and very huge) Goliath, who’s surprise appearance, was a highlight of the peril in this episode.

But then Bell kinda luckily falls down a pit, doesn’t break any bones, and wakes up in the grass on a seemingly sunny day. He made it, but has no more strength to help his friends. Also luckily for him (and them) Ais and the Loki familia are also in the safe zone, or “Under Resort”, resting before their battle with Goliath. Once again, Bell owes Ais, but he did make it there, and both Welf and Lili would be goners without his efforts.

Not surprisingly, the two scantily-clad sisters Tione and Tiona latch onto Bell and flirt with him, though it’s not entirely unjustified as they saw him take down that minotaur. Otherwise, everyone’s just sitting around resting, which isn’t all that interesting, until Hestia arrives.

Their reunion is fairly moving (broken up by a jealous, competitive Lili), but to be honest, this was a foregone conclusion, and again, I was pretty disappointed how little Hestia and her team did, and how little we saw of them.

Still, I appreciated the the Take familia apologizing for their pass parade, and Bell acting as diplomat in telling Welf and Lili to put it behind them, even if they can’t immediately forgive. After all, Bell admits he’d have probably done the same thing if he had to choose between the two of them and a party of strangers.

Bell also meets the tagalong Hermes, and for a second I thought something was going to happen when they shook hands. Alas, nothing happens. Nothing also happens when Bell and Ais are alone late at night, gazing at the sky made of crystal that emulates stars.

Ais is too willing to go with the flow and allow hers to be disrupted, such as when Hestia interrupts them, while Bell is still too nervous to do anything but blush at the prospect of being beside Ais, let alone go on a date into town with her.

I realize this is (likely) a two-cour series in which some developments take time, but their insipid will-they-won’t-they is frankly the least interesting part of it right now, because it refuses to go anywhere and takes up time. Perhaps when Ais & Co. faces off against Goliath, and Hermes finally does whatever he came to do, things will pick back up.